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China's Ministry of State Security reminds the public of potential espionage of foreign spies under disguised as scholars and detectives and tourists

Global Times

By Du Qiongfang Published: May 26, 2025 12:17 AM

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Sunday warned the public of potential espionage threats by summarizing several common disguises used by foreign spies and the deceptive tactics they employ to conduct activities that endanger China's national security.

According to an article released by the MSS on Sunday, spies from intelligence agencies may pose as detectives, scholars, businessmen, tourists, journalists and NGO workers to approach relevant personnel and use various rhetoric traps to conduct activities that threaten state security.

According to the MSS, foreign spies may pose as detectives or consultants, using excuses such as information verification or paid consultations to lure individuals within China into observing and collecting data on sensitive military sites or probing into sensitive information in classified high-tech sectors.

The MSS advised the public to be cautious when taking part-time jobs involving errands, photography, or consulting particularly tasks requiring photography of specific locations or verification of sensitive matters, and never take photos of classified targets related to national defense or the military.

The MSS also noted that foreign spies may frequently visit universities and research institutes under the guise of academic exchanges or research collaborations, enticing individuals with economic benefits or academic perks in order to obtain sensitive information and core technologies from our country.

The MSS urged the public to remain wary of overly enthusiastic foreign-background "scholars" and stressed that classified information must not be shared without authorization or taken to academic events abroad.

Foreign spies may pose as "wealthy" businessmen, using investment or cooperation as a pretense to target sensitive enterprises or government officials, carrying out recruitment efforts through monetary incentives or emotional manipulation to extract critical intelligence, according to MSS.

Foreign spies also may enter China as tourists and conduct by themselves or incite others in the country to carry out illegal mapping or on-site surveillance under the pretense of interest in China's landscape and geography, the MSS said.

The MSS also warned the public to stay vigilant against foreign spies who, under the guise of "romantic relationships," approach Chinese students studying abroad or establish online connections, and then recruit them for espionage after developing a romantic relationship.

Apart from the identities mentioned above, foreign spies may also pose as "journalists," "visa officers," "NGO workers," using a range of methods to collect state secrets and threaten China's national security, the MSS added.

China is committed to expanding high-level openness and actively engaging in international exchanges and cooperation in the new era. To achieve this, it is vital to strengthen institutional safeguards against external risks under open conditions and to advance openness and security in a coordinated manner, Wang Honggang, vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Wang emphasized the importance of reinforcing the security net, adopting legal thinking and approaches, and continuously enhancing the rule of law - particularly in foreign-related areas. He also stressed the need to improve both the legal and regulatory framework and the implementation system for foreign-related rule of law.